It has been awhile since my last post so I thought I better catch up and what better way than to do so with an old American favorite… Homemade Apple Pie. The twist here is though that I did not prepare this particular homemade apple pie the conventional American way. I cheated on America and made it the Swedish way. I have to give credit where it is due to the Swedes…this is a mighty fine tasting Apple Pie and the ease of it makes it that much more delicious. What would you say if I told you that this pie could be made on a work day or school night without you pulling all of your hair out doing so. Crazy right…well wrong because this pie is capable of just that. It is simple and delicious and a pleasant twist to the original we all know and love that it can even be served at a dinner party and you will be sure never to go wrong. A drizzle of Vanilla Bean Creme Anglaise or if you want a more traditional paring like what my grandfather preferred… a big heaping scoop of Vanilla Ice cream.

This pie is sensational. It is a cross between a spiced apple cake and a dense pie with a crisp sugar coated apple topping and a crisp and buttery thin crust. A few notes before I send you off to baking this delicious creation. Be sure to use two different varieties of apples here, one that is tart and one that is more sweet. I chose to use the ratio of 3 Granny Smith’s to 2 Braeburn, however you can use Golden Delicious or Gala apples in the place of Braeburn but be sure to use Granny Smith’s for tartness no matter which type of sweet apple you choose.

Swedish Apple Pie

Ingredients:

2 tbsp. Unsalted Butter, plus 8 tbsp. (1 stick) melted
¾ cup Graham Cracker Crumbs
3 Granny Smith Apples, peeled, cored, & sliced thin
2 Braeburn Apples, peeled, cored, & sliced thin
1 ¼ cups Sugar
1 cup plus 1 tbsp. All-Purpose Flour
1 ½ tsp. Apple Pie Spice
½ tsp. Baking Powder
½ tsp. Salt
2 Eggs
2 tbsp. Sour Cream

Formula:

Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat to 325°. Grease bottom and sides of 9-in. spring-form pan with 1 tbsp. butter. Melt remaining softened butter in large nonstick pan over medium heat. Add graham crackers and toast until golden brown. Transfer crumbs to bowl and let cool.
Toss sliced apples, 2 tbsp. sugar, and 1 tbsp. flour in a bowl. Coat bottom and sides of spring-form pan with toasted graham cracker crumbs. Arrange apples in pan.
Combine 1 cup sugar, remaining flour, apple pie spice, baking powder, and salt in a bowl. Whisk in eggs, sour cream, and melted butter until smooth. Pour batter evenly over apples. Sprinkle remaining sugar (mixed with a bit of cinnamon for cinnamon sugar – if desired) evenly over batter and bake until deep golden brown and crisp, about 70 to 80 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack and cool at least 1 hour or completely. Remove ring from pan, slice, and serve (preferably with ice cream).

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Pastries in Paradise

Granny Smith